Dioxan-containing aluminum lubricant

ABSTRACT

A process of lubricating aluminum and aluminum alloys by applying to the metal surface a lubricant comprising a major portion of a carrier fluid, such as mineral oil, hydrocarbon oil, halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbons, or water, and a minor portion of a C10-C30 1,3-dioxan. The dioxan is present as 0.1-30 volume percent of the lubricant.

United States Patent Hotten 1451 Nov. 5, 1974 DIOXAN-CONTAINING ALUMINUM LUBRICANT Bruce W. Hotten, Orinda, Calif.

Chevron Research Company, San Francisco, Calif.

Filed: Mar. 27, 1973 Appl. No.: 345,400

Inventor:

Assignee:

us. 01 252/495, 252/52, 260/3407 Int. Cl. C10m1/ 20,Cl0m 3/14 Field of Search 252/52 R, 49.5; 260/3401 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/l9 43 Arundale et al. 260/340] 4/1966 Whitaker 252/52 R 1/1967 Brown 252/49.5 X ll/l968 Treat 252/49.5 X

3/1972 Hotten "252/52 R OTHER PUBLICATIONS Dromgold et a1. Lubrication Engineering January,

1970 pages 26-31.

Primary Examiner-W. Cannon Assistant ExaminerW. Cannon Attorney, Agent, or FirmG, F. Madgehurger; C. J.

.Tonkin; M. D. Nelson eral oil, hydrocarbon oil, halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbons, or water, and a minor portion of a C -C 1,3-dioxan. The dioxan is'present as 0.1-30 I volume percent of the lubricant.

10 Claims, No Drawings DIOXAN-CONTAINING ALUMINUM LUBRICANT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the use of dioxans in the lubrication of the surface of aluminum or aluminum alloys during cold forming processes, machining, including tapping and drilling, or in mechanical devices.

always mixtures of polar or oiliness additives with a light mineral oil, synthetic hydrocarbon oil, petroleum distillate, or water. The effect of the additives in rolling lubricants is to improve the lubricating ability of the oil or water, thus decreasing friction in the roll bite between rolls and metal. By resultant effects, a decrease in friction allows more efficient reduction in thickness of the metal being rolled. These additives also, through their chemical or polar action, serve to decrease the tendency of the metal to weld to or pickup on the surface of the rolls during rolling.

Similar lubricants are used to lubricate aluminum parts in engines, gears, and other machinery. Here the problems have been especially acute, and lack of a suitable aluminum lubricant has severely restricted the development of unlined aluminum cylinder engines.

Machining aluminum also requires lubricants. Lack of adequate lubrication during drilling, tapping, or other machining of aluminum seriously shortens the useful life of tools such as drills and taps.

SUMMARY The process of this invention is a process for lubricating aluminum and aluminum alloys during cold working, machining, or other mechanical operation which comprises applying to the surface of the material a lubricant comprising a major portion of a carrier fluid and a minor portion of a C -C 1,3 dioxan. The carrier fluid may be a mineral oil, synthetic hydrocarbon oil, petroleum distillate, halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbon, or water.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION R wherein R is selected fifth Hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl group of from 1 to 26 carbon atoms.

In the lubrication of aluminum, it is important that materials detrimental to the aluminum surface not be present in the lubricant. Consequently, the dioxans of this invention willprobably contain no atoms other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Similarly, the carrier fluid should preferably contain no atoms other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and halogen.

Exemplary dioxans useful in the practice of this invention include 6-n-decyll,3-dioxan; 4-methyl-6- decyl-1,3-dioxan, 6-n-dodecyI-l ,3-dioxan, 6-n-hexadecyll ,3-dioxan; 6-n-eicosyll ,3-dioxan, 6-n-hexadecyl- 1,3-dioxan, 6-benzyl-l ,3-dioxan, 6-naphthyl-l ,3- dioxan, 6( 3-hexylbenzyl)- 1 ,3-dioxan, 6( 5-n-decylbenzyl)-1,3-dioxan, 4-ethyl-6-benzyl-l ,3-dioxan and 4,6-dihexyl-l ,3-dioxan.

One particular preferred group of dioxans is the alkyl dioxans. These have the formula:

where R is an aliphatic'hydrocarbon group of from 7 to 26 carbon atoms.

The dioxans must contain at least 10 carbon atoms and preferably at least 12 carbon atoms. It has been found that dioxans having less than 10 carbon atoms do not exhibit the superior antiwear and lubricating properties of the C -C dioxans. Similarly, dioxans having more than 30 carbon atoms have notbeen found to be the equivalent of the C -C dioxans.

The carrier fluid which comprises the major portion of the lubricant of this invention may be a mineral oil, hydrocarbonoil, hydrocarbon distillate, halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbon, or water. Water is the preferred carrier fluid because of its high heat removal properties. When water is used asthe carrier fluid, it is preferred to add a small amount, generally up to about 5-10 volume percent, of an emulsifier to the water/dioxan mixture. The emulsifier may be ionic or nonionic. Suitable emulsifiers include alkylarylpolyethoxy alcohols, sorbitan monooleate, polyethoxylated amines, amides or fatty acids, sugar esters, soaps, and sulfonates.

Oils suitable as carrier fluids in the process of this invention are generally hydrocarbon oils produced .by distillation, cracking hydrogenation, or other refining processes. They typically haveboiling points of 500 to 1,000F and viscosities of 50 to 500 SSU at F. A typical example of a suitableoil is a hydrocarbonneutral oil having a viscosity of SSU at 100F. These may provide a minor amount of lubrication themselves.

The oxygenated hydrocarbon fluids useful in thisinvention include carboxylic acid esters, alcohols,-ketones, ethers, and aldehydes. The halogen-substituted hydrocarbons include haloalkyls and haloaryls. The fluids may have both substituents, as in the case of a haloether. Typical nonhydrocarbon fluids which may be used include carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1- trichloroethane, chloroform, bromoform, 1,2- dichloroethane, chlorobenzene, ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, allyl alcohol, vbenzyl alcohol, nbutyraldehyde, benzaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, 2-hexanone, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl ether, n-propyl ether, ethylphenyl ether, 1,4-dioxane, and propylene oxide.

The above materials are cited only as examplesAny suitable hydrocarbomhalogenated hydrocarbon, or oxygenated hydrocarbon may be used which can, by the use of suitable emulsifiers, be made miscible with the particular dioxan in question. Further, the carrier fluid may be a mixture oftwo or more of the above materials. All materials so combined should be mutually miscible or should be capable of being made so by use of appropriate emulsifiers.

in the lubricant composition used in the process of this invention the dioxan comprises a minor portion. Typically, the dioxan comprises no more than 30 percent by volume of the dioxan-carrier fluid mixture. Preferably, the dioxan is no more than volume per cent of the mixture and, more preferably, no more than 10 volume percent. The minimum dioxan concentration is 0.1 volume percent. In a preferred embodiment, the dioxan is first dispersed in a polyolefin, such as polybutene having a number average molecular weight of about 300 to 1,000. The mixture is then emulsified in water. Such materials are readily volatilized during the annealing of the aluminum following cold rolling, and thus leave little surface residue on the aluminum. Generally, the volumetric ratio of dioxan to polyolefin is 1:1 to 1:10. In a typical composition of this invention, there will be 90 volume percent water, 2 volume percent dioxan, 7.5 volume percent polybutene, and 0.5 volume percent nonionic emulsifiers.

The lubricant composition of this invention may also contain conventional additives, such as antirust agents, oxidation inhibitors, and lubricity agents. A typical lubricity agent is lard oil. These additives will normally be present as 5-25 weight percent of the lubricant.

The following examples are presented to illustrate the practice of specific embodiments of this invention and should not be interpreted as limitations upon the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 A mixture of 2,000 grams (7.5 mols) of C C a-olefins, 900 grams (15 mols) of acetic acid, 480 grams of paraformaldehyde and 40 grams of sulfuric acid (sulfuric acid added incrementally at 4-hour intervals) are heated at 105-1 10C for a total of 16 hours. On standing at room temperature, the product deposited white crystals which on filtration weighed 322 grams. Recrystallization in isopropanol gave the purified 6-(C -C alkyl)-1,3-dioxan; mp 5556C. On

analysis the product had an oxygen content of 10.5

weight percent.

EXAMPLE 2 The product of Example 1 is tested for its lubricating properties in an aqueous emulsion lubricant. The lubricant consisted of 7.6 weight percent polybutene, 0.2 weight percent of an oil-soluble polyethoxyalkyl phenol dispersant, 0.2 weight percent of a water-soluble polyethoxyalkyl phenol dispersant, 2 weight percent of the product of example 1 and 90 weight percent water.

This lubricant was tested in a Falex Machine test for its load-carrying lubricating properties. This is a wellknown test in which a cylindrical shaft of steel is rotated between and incontact with two V-shaped aluminum blocks. The shaft is connected to a motor by a small shear-pin. The shaft and blocks are immersed in the lubricant to be tested. An increasing load is placed on the blocks, forcing them against the shaft. The point at which the shaft seizes against the blocks and shears the shear-pin is measured, and the pounds of force being exerted against the blocks at that point is recorded as the failure load of the lubricant. The Falex Al/Steel failure load is measured at 2,950 pounds.

I claim:

1. A process for lubricating aluminum or aluminum alloys which comprises applying to the surface of the aluminum or aluminum alloys a lubricant comprising a major portion of a carrier fluid selected from the group consisting of water, aqueous emulsions, halogenated hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons and from 0.1 to 15 volume percent of a C -C hydrocarbyl-1,3- dioxan.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said C -C hydrocarbyl-1,3-dioxan has the structural formula R- OTB o wherein R is selected from hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl having from 1 to 26 carbon atoms.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein said C -C dioxan is an aliphatic dioxan having the formula:

where R, is an alkyl having from 7 to 26 carbons.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein said C -C dioxan is present as 0.1 to 15 volume percent of said lubricant.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said carrier fluid is water.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein said carrier fluid is a halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbon.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein said carrier fluid is a mixture of two or more materials each of which is selected from different member of the group consisting of water, hydrocarbon oils, halogenated hydrocarbons, and oxygenated hydrocarbons.

8. A composition comprising a major portion of water and a minor portion of a C -C hydrocarbyl- 1,3-dioxan.

9. The composition of claim 8, also containing an emulsifier.

10. An aqueous lubricating composition useful for lubricating aluminum, which comprises:

a. a major amount of water;

b. from 0.1 to 15 volume percent of a C -C alkyl- 1,3-dioxan;

c. an emulsifier in an amount sufficient to permit the dioxan to form a stable emulsion with the water. 

1. A PROCESS FOR LUBRICATING ALUMINUM OR ALUMINUM ALLOYS WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING TO THE SURFACE OF THE ALUMONUM OR ALUMINUM ALLOYS A LUBRICANT COMPRISING A MAJOR PORTION OF A CARRIER FLUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER, AQUEOUS EMULSIONS, HALOGENATED HYDROCARBONS AND OXYGENATED HYDROCARBONS AND FROM 0.1 TO 15 VOLUME PERCENT OF A C10-C30 HYDROCARBYL-1,3-DIOXAN.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein said C10-C30 hydrocarbyl-1,3-dioxan has the structural formula
 3. The process Of claim 2, wherein said C10-C30 dioxan is an aliphatic dioxan having the formula:
 4. The process of claim 1, wherein said C10-C30 dioxan is present as 0.1 to 15 volume percent of said lubricant.
 5. The process of claim 1, wherein said carrier fluid is water.
 6. The process of claim 1, wherein said carrier fluid is a halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbon.
 7. The process of claim 1, wherein said carrier fluid is a mixture of two or more materials each of which is selected from different member of the group consisting of water, hydrocarbon oils, halogenated hydrocarbons, and oxygenated hydrocarbons.
 8. A composition comprising a major portion of water and a minor portion of a C10-C30 hydrocarbyl-1,3-dioxan.
 9. The composition of claim 8, also containing an emulsifier.
 10. An aqueous lubricating composition useful for lubricating aluminum, which comprises: a. a major amount of water; b. from 0.1 to 15 volume percent of a C10-C30 alkyl-1,3-dioxan; c. an emulsifier in an amount sufficient to permit the dioxan to form a stable emulsion with the water. 